I don't get the Cachopa love at all. Up until seven games ago he was just another domestic journeyman, now he's a must pick for New Zealand. He needs to do it for much longer IMO, much the same as Munro. Then send them away on that 'A' tour over the winter and see what happens from there. All this "You need to pick him while he's in form" bull**** is stupid, it's a hanful of games ffs, it might just be an anomaly.

Don't get me wrong what he's done over the last seven games is outstanding, but it's only seven games.

It's because Chops is the one kid we've seen at a really bad inner-city school who's actually trying, effectively. By all rights he should be compulsively hooking by now, but instead he keeps taking the hits in games that <100 people care about, placing the sort of value on his wicket we like to see.

Probably what we're hoping for ultimately is a 'more fluent and shotty Richardson or Bryan Young' who'll get us back to fighting for a 60(160) pretty regularly. The sort of guy who does the sound check and sets the props, who'll see an angry and restless crowd and surprise them by lacing a few of his own acoustic covers through the covers.

Don't squander the gold of your days making a shrine of cricket videos, trying to improve the hopeless failure, giving your life away to the Blockys, the Devciches and the Weerasundaras! Surrender your devout little cricketing heart to the inured agribusinessman.

In four changes to the Hell Firebirds’ team that met the Northern Knights on New Year’s Day, Josh Brodie, Ben Orton, Tipene Friday and Malaesaili Tugaga come into the squad. They replace Michael Pollard, Scott Kuggeleijn, Dane Hutchinson and Dimitri Mascaranhas. Mascaranhas has been recalled to Melbourne to play for his Big Bash team.

Pity they favour such a light magazine style, will deny the general fan Cachopa vs. Short Stuff later in the season.

Rigor's five future Black Cap players to watch ftr:

Chops
Ronchi
Duffy ("if he can gain 5kph of pace...".)
Kuggs ("clever cricketer...off-cutter, back of the hand, he's got it all")
Vincent

I swear Rigor pays no attention to cricket other than the games on tv. Kugs dropped to Wellington A today. Nice to see Walsh getting an chance and getting runs, he looked the goods when I saw him in the U/19s. Ili and Friday into the Firebirds squad is mean, shame it's not on TV because they both are good talents!

CD's injury woes continued with unwanted Black Caps wicketkeeper Kruger van Wyk jetting back home from Nelson in the hope of nursing a broken, picked up in an earlier round, to be fit for the shield campaign.

Ex-Wellington seamer Andrew Lamb, setting the pace at the New Zealand Provincial A Tournament in Christchurch this week, has been called in but is likely to be the 12th man.

First-class opening batsman Jeet Raval may make his T20 debut to add some batting depth and offer another spin option with Ben Smith slipping on the wicketkeeping gloves ahead of veteran Mathew Sinclair.

We might be genius in the outfield but inside the ring we've left a bit to be desired in the past few seasons.

Originally Posted by Athlai

Jeets doesn't really deserve to be bowling.

Originally Posted by Dan

in the future where we're all social justice-y Cribb can ride down the street to pick up some raw milk from Coles on a motorised esky while smoking meth, firing an RPG into the air, and carrying the case of British-import Stella he's polygamously (and privately) married alongside a genderfluid Zambian businessperson and a coke-snorting 18-year-old cyborg girl.